Greenburgh fire leaves 2-year-old dead

A 2-year-old boy was killed and four other people were injured after a massive fire broke out Saturday night at a home on Sears Avenue in Greenburgh.

The cause of the fatal fire is being investigated.

The 2-year-old victim was visiting from Barbados with his mother. He was stuck in a bedroom in the attic, and couldn't get out.

"I'm in guilt right now, I'm in guilt that I invite these people into my home and they died," said homeowner Adrian Daniel.

Daniel lived in the home with his family for 35 years. He doesn't know what caused Saturday night's inferno, which investigators say started I the attic. He says his friend, the 2-year-old's mother, tried to run back inside and save her son, but couldn't. Neither could firefighters.

Assistant Chief Stephen Woehrle says this is first fatality in three decades.

"It was pretty much impossible, but they pushed through until the roof caved in," said Woehrle.

After Eyewitness News' interview with the Assistant Chief, several people in the neighborhood said they had water pressure troubles with hydrants on the block. They say firefighters had to move and reconnect their hoses to different hydrants before they got a steady stream of water.

"You don't expect things to happen to you," adds Daniel, "you don't expect in the middle of the night that your house is going to catch fire."

Eyewitness News has not been able to reach Elmsford's fire chief to ask him about trouble with the hydrants on the block. A firefighter from a neighboring department said there were water issues. Firefighters got to the scene quickly, but there wasn't much they could do. The roof collapsed quickly, and the flames were too intense.

Four people were taken to Westchester Medical Center and treated for minor injuries, including the child's mother, who suffered some burns.

It took 75 firefighters about two hours to bring the blaze under control.